I dunno. Unless excess Red Bull can produce a false positive, I am at a loss. He did have a DUI a while back. Hard to say with a young guy. You think you know them as they come along but as they age, they changle. Who thought Jeremy Mayfield would grow to become a complete tool. I hope a) it's not true, just a bad result or if not, for a 2) speedy and surefire rehab.

Especially the bit about if there was any doubt or room for it to be proved that it was an over the counter contamination or undeclared prescription, the announcement wouldn't have come just before the race.

As long as there are sponsors using the series to promote their intoxicants, I don't really see the logic of testing drivers for intoxicants when not involved in motorsport. Seems mindlessly puritanical. Obviously if a driver were to be competing under the influence of intoxicants, that would be a completely different matter. I don't think there are any proven performance enhancing drugs for drivers, so it isn't a fairness of competition issue. This isn't the TdF.

They say there hasn't been a call for or schedule of the B test yet, which is why Allmendinger was "temporarily suspended". But I might be taking it a step too far to assume that if he had asked for the B test at 4pm on Saturday, he'd have been allowed to race that evening?

They say there hasn't been a call for or schedule of the B test yet, which is why Allmendinger was "temporarily suspended". But I might be taking it a step too far to assume that if he had asked for the B test at 4pm on Saturday, he'd have been allowed to race that evening?

The person I talked to said the B sample was being tested.

I'm also a little bit of a loss to think of what could be used as a PED. I don't know if NASCAR even bothers with that side of it. Certainly about 1/2 of them could use something to ramp up their metabolism (Clenbuterol). How much weight has Montoya put on since F1?

The DUI didn't seem to hurt AJ. This is going to be different. Roger isn't putting up with this. I'll be highly surprised if he gets back in one of their cars (assuming the B comes out positive, too...which it always does). Forget that he had previous drivers with substance problems. It's too much of a corporate black eye now. Mayfield being the extreme scenario.

I'm also a little bit of a loss to think of what could be used as a PED. I don't know if NASCAR even bothers with that side of it. Certainly about 1/2 of them could use something to ramp up their metabolism (Clenbuterol). How much weight has Montoya put on since F1?

The DUI didn't seem to hurt AJ. This is going to be different. Roger isn't putting up with this. I'll be highly surprised if he gets back in one of their cars (assuming the B comes out positive, too...which it always does). Forget that he had previous drivers with substance problems. It's too much of a corporate black eye now. Mayfield being the extreme scenario.

Okay, but the public line at the moment is no one has asked for the B. Though I assume it will be done.

I thought at first it would be something 'harmless' since sports rules are way more strict than what human resources would allow in most companies. But based on the USA Today explanation of how these things go down, I think that because we got to the public announcement and suspension stage we are into stuff you shouldn't be taking if you want to drive for a team that had Kurt Busch and Al Unser Jr.

I doubt he's doing cocaine with oprhans, but so far everyone that has gotten in trouble has been for drug drugs, and anyone that had a good reason for their test results had it taken care of on the sly.

If I had to guess it would be something dumb but not horrific. A bit of weed, too many beers with lunch(Kentucky was a night race), etc.

This is a partial list from a Jayski quoting a now expired news article from several years ago.

o Stimulants, such as amphetamine, methamphetamine, Ecstasy (MDMA), Eve (MDEA) and Phentermine.
o Narcotic analgesics, such as hydromorphone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, heroin, codeine and hydrocodone.
o Ephedrine, such as pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine if used in a manner inconsistent with the instructions provided by the drug manufacturer or in a manner or amount that risks the health, safety or impairs a driver.
o Benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam (Ativan), oxazapam (Serax), temazepam (Restoril), Alpha-hydroxyalprazolam (Xanax) and Nordiazepam (Valium).
o Barbituates, such as amobarbital (Amytal) and secobarbital (Seconal).
o Performance enhancing drugs, such as Human Growth Hormone (hGH), as well as anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), including testosterone.
o Muscle relaxers, such as carisoprodol (Soma), meprobamate (Miltown, Meprospan).
o Sleep aids, such as zolpidem (Ambien)
o Beta blockers, such as alpernolol and carteolol.
o Alcohol: A competitor is prohibited from consuming any alcohol 12 hours prior to or during on-track activity. A driver is considered unfit if the blood-alcohol level is above 20 milligrams per 100 milliliters (0.02 percent).
o Dietary supplements with a warning advising non-use if the purchaser is subject to a drug-testing program even though available without a prescription.
o Masking agents designed to avoid detection, including Aromatase inhibitors that may be used to biologically manipulate the testosterone/epitestosterone ratio, and/or using epitestosterone to artificially alter the testosterone/epitestosterone ratio.

RP this morning. I like this man maybe more than I used to at times. He seems to get wiser and classier as the years go by.

"We have a one-year contract with him. We'll have to assess the situation. We'll look at the details and understand it and make our move accordingly. At this point, it would be way premature for me to speculate what we might do. I think we've got to focus on our team and NASCAR. We've got good momentum. We've got to finish out this season strong. This will obviously, the outcome of this will dictate what will be the future from the standpoint of ourselves and any member of our team that would be in this situation.''

Penske on @SiriusXMNASCAR where is Allmendinger now: "I think he's probably laying low here trying to understand what the final test will be and then he'll deal with the outcome. .. He's a very good guy. I hate to see this. I'm more concerned about the individual than I am the circumstance. Long term, one way or another, he's a fighter. He's a good race driver and I'm sure he'll be fine. This is a speed bump that neither one of us contemplated and we have to deal with it professionally.''

This is a partial list from a Jayski quoting a now expired news article from several years ago.

o Stimulants, such as amphetamine, methamphetamine, Ecstasy (MDMA), Eve (MDEA) and Phentermine.o Narcotic analgesics, such as hydromorphone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, heroin, codeine and hydrocodone.o Ephedrine, such as pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine if used in a manner inconsistent with the instructions provided by the drug manufacturer or in a manner or amount that risks the health, safety or impairs a driver.o Benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam (Ativan), oxazapam (Serax), temazepam (Restoril), Alpha-hydroxyalprazolam (Xanax) and Nordiazepam (Valium).o Barbituates, such as amobarbital (Amytal) and secobarbital (Seconal).o Performance enhancing drugs, such as Human Growth Hormone (hGH), as well as anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), including testosterone.o Muscle relaxers, such as carisoprodol (Soma), meprobamate (Miltown, Meprospan).o Sleep aids, such as zolpidem (Ambien)o Beta blockers, such as alpernolol and carteolol.o Alcohol: A competitor is prohibited from consuming any alcohol 12 hours prior to or during on-track activity. A driver is considered unfit if the blood-alcohol level is above 20 milligrams per 100 milliliters (0.02 percent).o Dietary supplements with a warning advising non-use if the purchaser is subject to a drug-testing program even though available without a prescription.o Masking agents designed to avoid detection, including Aromatase inhibitors that may be used to biologically manipulate the testosterone/epitestosterone ratio, and/or using epitestosterone to artificially alter the testosterone/epitestosterone ratio.

Then the test may be a full USADA/WADA test. Surprising, but if so, then there are many things you can get at GNC and health food stores that are illegal. If I had to guess, though, I'd guess some pot/THC is the culprit, but that's pure speculation. I don't know AJ well enough to know if he leans in that direction or not.

“I have informed NASCAR that I have requested that the "B" sample be tested, following the steps according to NASCAR’s 2012 rule book regarding this situation. I fully respect NASCAR's drug usage policy and the reasons they have it. I am hoping this can get resolved as quickly as possible so that I can get back to driving the No. 22 Penske Racing Dodge. I am sorry that this has caused such a distraction for my Penske Racing team, our sponsors and fans. Obviously I would never do anything to jeopardize my opportunity here at Penske Racing or to my fellow drivers. I am very conscious about my training and health and would never knowingly take a prohibited drug.”

I would have thought weed/hash/THC would be the worst possible drug for a racing driver. He'd be driving round the track thinking he's absolutely flying and with the race in the bag before realising he's still doing 50mph on the warmup lap. Then later he'd have to pit to pick up some more CD's and a couple of hotdogs...

I would have thought weed/hash/THC would be the worst possible drug for a racing driver. He'd be driving round the track thinking he's absolutely flying and with the race in the bag before realising he's still doing 50mph on the warmup lap. Then later he'd have to pit to pick up some more CD's and a couple of hotdogs...

That reminds me of a comment Carl Edwards made during a race. When the crew chief asked him "what do you need" he asked for some changes for the car and then was like "I could also use a nice box of Cheese-Its if you could get me that."

.... I am sorry that this has caused such a distraction for my Penske Racing team, our sponsors and fans. Obviously I would never do anything to jeopardize my opportunity here at Penske Racing or to my fellow drivers. I am very conscious about my training and health and would never knowingly take a prohibited drug.”

###

Interesting. This makes me think it might be some sort of PED or something of that sort. I know that there is stuff out there like DHEA (a building block of testosterone) that may be illegal on a drug test, but is in all sorts of over-the-counter athletic mixes. There is also a chemical stimulant called DMAA that is in several workout 'energy' mixes (NOxplodes and C-4 in particular). One of the guys on my team is a weight lifting gym-rat and has taken both. We are drug tested (I was pulled for a random sample last year). I've told him that he could get busted for that, so I think he doesn't use it a couple of days before going away on a race weekend.

If it were something of this nature, I'm really interested to see how NASCAR handles it. It would be a far cry from that Fike kid taking heroin or Mayfield on meth. Honestly, from what I know of AJ (admittedly, just an acquaintance) it would make some sense.

“In an effort to help our colleagues in the media report on this in a timely and accurate manner, we wanted to provide some additional details regarding AJ’s sample “A” test results. AJ tested positive for a stimulant. He has no idea why the first test was positive, and he has never knowingly taken any prohibited substance. AJ is collecting his medicines and supplements for testing to determine whether an over the counter product caused his positive test. AJ and all of us at Walldinger Racing respect NASCAR's testing program, and he has requested that his "B" sample be tested as part of the process of getting to the bottom of this. We will have the opportunity to review all of the scientific data surrounding the test following the "B" sample test, but our understanding is that AJ's test was slightly above the threshold. As of this morning, we have not been given notice of when the testing of the “B” sample will take place. Thanks again for all of the support of our fans, team, and sponsors as we continue working through the process.”

I have no inside info whatsoever but I am wondering if maybe Adderol or Ritalin or one of the other drugs of choice among overachieving gen Y/Millennials.

I believe these would be classified as stimulants as would the DMAA that I mentioned earlier. My guess is that any prescription drug would be allowed with a TUE (therapeutic use exemption). Having said that, AJ does strike me as a ADD type of a guy (he even walks on his toes all the time, which is one of the signs). This is going to really suck if he's getting a career ruined because of an over-the-counter workout powder. I have to think that NASCAR would be reasonable on this type of a thing, but who knows? The 'addiction' class that you'd go through for something of this nature would be pretty simple, I'd think. It's not like you were doing blow off a hooker's back.

I read that the only recreational drug drug testing works reliably for is cannabis. Most of the others you practically have to catch the testee in flagrante with. With cannabis if the testee was in the same room a month ago with people smoking, it is possible to test positive.

The secret to defeating testing for recreational drugs is to stick to the hard stuff- cocaine, heroin, meth, good; snowboarder parties, bad.

I read that the only recreational drug drug testing works reliably for is cannabis. Most of the others you practically have to catch the testee in flagrante with. With cannabis if the testee was in the same room a month ago with people smoking, it is possible to test positive.

The secret to defeating testing for recreational drugs is to stick to the hard stuff- cocaine, heroin, meth, good; snowboarder parties, bad.

You remind me of a funny tweet I read the other day: So, Mr. Ron Paul, you will legalize pot. Congratulations, you are president of our skate park.

I think it's the opposite extreme of 'overthinking things'. You get into the argument about intuitive/subconscious thinking. On the other hand one of Malcolm Gladwell's books(rolls eyes) about reactionary thinking was very popular on Wall Street...

As I've long suspected, really really smart people are different from us. We dummies take acid and maybe see pretty colors or giggle a lot or get paranoid. But geniuses take psychedelic drugs and can use the altered state to look at problems in new ways, apparently even drawing significant new insights from the altered perspective. You probably don't want your tax accountant or the guy designing the highway overpass to work that way, but it may well be that we are all considerably better off because some creative right-brain types can harness this aid to unconventional thought. Imagine a world where all musicians were drug tested before their music could be published. Or writers. Or visual artists. Imagine the utter wasteland any such scheme would inevitably make of our popular culture.

I mean drugs (let's pretend this conventional usage of the term has some actual basis in logic for now OK?) are bad, right? The guy in the navy blue suit who has never created anything innovative or different in his life says so and he's been successful so I guess he must know what he's talking about. But maybe part of the reason he is so adamant is that he is on some level aware of his own intellectual and creative mediocrity- comfortable with it- and is actually afraid of a world where possibilities outside his conventional, competent, gray, barely three dimensional reality exists. Maybe the people who swam against the tide at Cisco and saw that the plans to drug test the high level creative staff were shelved were absolutely right to do so. Maybe the picture isn't so neat and simple as the crew cut navy blue suits and vacuous eyed Nancy Reagans would like you to believe. Maybe we've all been brainwashed to no good purpose but to protect the embedded interests of the mediocre. Maybe drug testing is the revenge of the dullards on the actual creative, smart folk.

As I've long suspected, really really smart people are different from us. We dummies take acid and maybe see pretty colors or giggle a lot or get paranoid. But geniuses take psychedelic drugs and can use the altered state to look at problems in new ways, apparently even drawing significant new insights from the altered perspective.

Well, it looks like AJ is in the NASCAR "Road to Recovery" program. Ummmmm, huh? As far as I know, what he's accused of hasn't even been formally declared. How the hell do you recover from it? It's probably an office meeting with someone like my high school guidance counselor saying, "Don't take that stuff, OK?"

Well, it looks like AJ is in the NASCAR "Road to Recovery" program. Ummmmm, huh? As far as I know, what he's accused of hasn't even been formally declared. How the hell do you recover from it? It's probably an office meeting with someone like my high school guidance counselor saying, "Don't take that stuff, OK?"

As a matter of privacy NASCAR won't specify the banned substance unless it has to but AJ's camp says amphetamines. (So I believe it is Ritalin or Adderall or suchlike as I predicted.) Yes, from what I hear the NASCAR deal is a very conventional rehab program.

If it's prescription how comoe they didn't fix that with NASCAR at the time? "Oh sorry, yeah I've got a doctor's note" and they have a procedural ban/rehab because they are technically in violation. And they can also say in public "Yeah, sorry, we didn't do it through the proper channels".

Because whether they're being honest or not, right now the line is "we don't know what we took that made us fail". So it's Ritalin/Adderall and AJ is taking his daily dose while saying "boy, I sure don't know what's causing this amphetamine positive"?